Downtown Ft. Worth Adding Embassy Suites
By the end of 2006, you'll have another hotel option in downtown Fort Worth: the Embassy Suites Hotel Fort Worth-Downtown. The hotel, a member of the Hilton Family of Hotels, will be located at 600 Commerce Street across from the Bass Performance Hall and within walking distance of the Fort Worth Convention Center, Sundance Square and its restaurants, retail shops, art galleries and live entertainment venues.
Construction has begun on the upscale, boutique-style, 256 two-room suite property that will include a café and an upscale martini bar.
Labels: Fort Worth
posted by Paris and John @ 4:27 PM
Dallas's Bath House Cultural Center Celebrates 25th Anniversary
From Aug. 25-Sept. 16, the Bath House Cultural Center will present acts from the past as well as from its current roster including musicians Cindy Horstman, William Scobie, BL Lacerta, D Drum, White Rock Rhythms, and storytellers Elizabeth Ellis and Twice Upon A Time. Moonlady Night on Sept. 2 features performers from the popular eclectic list serve. The show will includes harp rock, singer-songwriters, performance poets, drummers, jazz trumpet, ukelele, vocalists, Mid-East dance, and more. The Dallas Puppets Guild will offer a puppet-making workshop for children. A retrospective exhibition of art will be in the galleries and Echo Theatre will present a world premiere of the play "Women and Horses And a Shot Straight From the Bottle." A picnic for the neighborhood with live music will be the closing event on Sept. 16. Call 214-670-8749 or visit
www.bathhousecultural.com.
The Bath House is free and open to the public Tuesday-Saturday noon-6 p.m. and is located on the eastern shore of White Rock Lake at the end of Northcliff Drive off of Buckner Boulevard.
Overlooking White Rock Lake in East Dallas, the Bath House is home to many non-profit arts organizations and individuals that would have no home otherwise. Approximately 18 visual art exhibitions, 10 theater productions, 2 dance events, and 10-15 music concerts are presented at the BHCC yearly. City supported, with your tax dollars, the Bath House is home to the Festival Of Independent Theatres every summer as well as the Art and Craft Market every spring and fall and the famous Dia de los Muertos art exhibition every October.
The History of the Bath House Cultural Center: Built in 1930 on what were then the rural shores of White Rock Lake, the "old bath house" was one of the first uses of Art Deco architecture in the Southwest. It provided lockers, changing rooms, rentable swimsuits and concessions for the thousands of people that drove from all over North Texas to swim in the lake.
The Bath House remained a social and recreational hot spot for over two decades, but was forced to close in 1953 when swimming in White Rock Lake was discontinued due to drought, polio and racial tensions. The majestic building sat vacant until 1978 when, urged and supported by a dedicated group of neighborhood arts activists, the City of Dallas announced plans to restore the building. In August of 1981, the citizens of East Dallas celebrated the birth of the City's first neighborhood cultural center.
Today, instead of lockers and showers, the Bath House Cultural Center houses a 120-seat theater, two gallery spaces, and multiple mixed-use spaces. Diversity flourishes as visual and performing artists from an array of backgrounds and disciplines find a welcoming venue for their work.
Labels: Dallas
posted by Paris and John @ 4:13 PM
Texas Celebrity Travel News
By Grace Sydney
Wonder where in Texas the stars stay? Here’s a look at the latest visits by the rich and famous set to the Lone Star State:
A voice from the past echoed within the confines of the Abbott Methodist Church on July 2, 2006 as superstar
Willie Nelson stepped to the forefront of the humble house of worship and, as in days gone by, sang of his love for the Lord. Born and raised in the small Hill Country community 10 miles from Hillsboro, which today boasts a population of roughly 300 residents, the Grammy Award-winning Lone Star luminary and his sister Bobbie recently purchased Abbott's spiritual sanctuary.
From
Britney Spears and
Kevin Federline to Nine Inch Nails frontman
Trent Reznor, the Hotel ZaZa in Dallas is a favorite among the A-list. Dubbed "one of the 500 best hotels in the world" by Travel and Leisure, the 154-room boutique retreat welcomed Richardson-raised
Ashlee and
Jessica Simpson in June.
Richie Sambora's current flame
Denise Richards, soon to star in the ABC drama series "Secrets of A Small Town," was seen in the big city of Houston recently, perusing for purchases in Neiman Marcus.
The capital city's own
Andy Roddick will host a gala and auction in support of his charitable foundation on November 21, 2006. Four hundred and fifty guests will enjoy gourmet cuisine and the musical stylings of perennial pop star
Lionel Richie at the Four Seasons Hotel Austin.
The residents of Maypearl, which lies 10 miles from Waxahachie, are counting the days to September, when the Ellis County town will have its moment in the spotlight in the made-for-TV drama "A House Divided," starring
Dylan McDermott from "The Practice" and Sarah Clarke ("24").
The memory of his days portraying Robert Kennedy compelled actor
Robert Knepper to visit Dealey Plaza upon his arrival in Dallas for the second season of the FOX drama "Prison Break." Home to The Sixth Floor Museum and the infamous "grassy knoll", the area marks a turning point in the American way of life.
Tiger Woods, who perfected his swing in early July on the Tom Fazio-designed course at Westlake's Vaquero Club, was among the first to walk through the doors of the just-opened W Dallas-Victory, a 252-room luxury retreat which features a SWEAT fitness center and a Bliss spa.
posted by Paris and John @ 7:36 PM
San Marcos Shopping to Appear on "The View"
Sure you know that the Alamo is the top tourist attraction in the state but did you know that the outlet malls in San Marcos rank right up there as a top attraction? These malls--which can truly be described as "Texas sized"-- are an attraction in themselves and have now caught the eye of the nation, thanks to ABC's daytime talk show, The View. On Thursday, July 13, San Marcos will be featured as one of the “Best Places to Shop” on the popular show.
We're going to be sure to catch the show, which will feature not only the malls but general coverage of the city.
Labels: Hill Country, San Antonio
posted by Paris and John @ 3:17 PM
Which TX City has the Highest Hotel Occupancy Rate?
Have you guessed yet? Our first guess was San Antonio--always a vacation favorite as well as a big convention center.
But that was wrong.
To date in 2006, Austin has the highest hotel occupancy rate in the state with 71% of all hotel rooms booked. Room rates are rising, too: last year the average was $82 per night, while this year, the average hotel room sells at $92.
Other hotel leaders in the state? The year-to-date occupancy rate for San Antonio is slightly lower than Austin’s at 69.7%; Houston and Fort Worth both record slightly over 68%; and Dallas comes in just under 64%.
posted by Paris and John @ 12:04 PM
Reader Mail About the Dallas Zoo
We recently received an email from a TexasTripper reader asking if we knew where he might obtain historic photos of the Dallas Zoo to give his father:
Thanks for your email; that sounds like a very nice project! We don’t know of any sources that specifically have zoo photos but we think a good place to start would be the Dallas Historical Society. They have a huge collection of historic photos of places all over Dallas. Here’s a page about their
photo collection.
Also, check out this collection of links for
historic societies in the Dallas area. That list includes some good resources for photos.
We also wonder if the
Dallas Zoo might keep an archive of historic photos. Someone in public relations might be able to assist and let you know if they have an in-house collection of historic photos.
Another good resource is the
Texas Escapes website. They have a large collection of historic Texas photos and also a forum where you could ask readers if they might have some historic zoo photos.
I hope this helps and best of luck with your search! Paris & John
Do you have a question about Texas travel we could assist with? Drop us an email at editors@texastripper.com and we'll do our best!
posted by Paris and John @ 3:49 PM
Our Newest Guidebook Released
We just received our advance copies of the third edition of
Insiders' Guide to San Antonio--our newly published guide to one of our favorite Texas cities! It will be coming to stores in early August...but look for it in a TexasTripper contest later this month!
Labels: TexasTripper News
posted by Paris and John @ 3:39 PM
Stonehenge II Photo Gallery
Can't make it to England this summer to see Stonehenge? Or to Easter Island view the giant Maoi statues?
No worries...you'll find them all in Texas. Just two miles west of Hunt, Texas on FM 1340, you'll find Stonehenge II, a replica of Britain's Stonehenge. The Texas version is 60% as tall as the original and 90% of its size in circumference. Located on a private ranch, the site is also home to replicas of two giant Moai, the mysterious statues found on Easter Island.
We've just added a
photo gallery of Stonehenge II. (When you get to the gallery, click on any thumbnail for a larger vesion and hit the "fast forward" button then to see all the photos as a slide show.)
Labels: Hill Country, TexasTripper News
posted by Paris and John @ 12:13 PM
